Unfeeling
by quickand2thepointless
Summary: Seth's refusal of Eirika has some unintended consequences. Will he be able to save her from herself despite his wish to keep his distance from her? SethxEirika oneshot.


**A/N: **The last of the FE8 drabbles I randomly found in my stash. SethxEirika... these two are tied for my favorite FE couple of all time along with IkexSoren. I hope I've managed to do them justice in this short little piece! The time line is shortly after their A support, and directly after Lyon/Demon King takes the Sacred Stone of Renais away from Eirika.

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Eirika was sitting cross-legged on the floor of her tent, her thin, pale hands covering the tracks of the tears streaming down her cheeks. Seth could just barely see her through the gap in her tent flaps, but what little of her he was able to see was enough to wrench and break his heart. As a knight of Renais, it was his duty to protect the princess from all possible harm, and it pained him greatly to see her more damaged and injured than she had ever been before.

"How long has she been like this?" Seth asked Prince Ephraim quietly.

"Ever since we cleared the Neleras Peak," Ephraim whispered back. "She told me she wanted some time to herself to think about things, but when I returned to fetch her for supper, she nearly murdered me on the spot for intruding upon her solitude."

"Yet you think I ought to speak to her, Prince Ephraim?"

"If anyone can help her, it's you, General Seth. My sister rightly respects you, and I suspect she holds your word at greater consequence than she holds even mine."

Seth's stomach sank. There was truth in the words the prince spoke, but he wished someone else- Tana or L'Arachel, perhaps- would undertake the task he had just been charged with. How could he face her after all that had transpired between them? He was not certain he could pretend indifference to her for any longer in order to save her from the imprudent attachment she wished to make with him, though he for her sake he must. But that look on her face... the tears in her eyes... the way she tightly wound her hands together, her knuckles straining and blanching white... How could he make himself immune to these things? It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

**"**_You may have to forego such attachments just to defend your country. There will be times when victory in battle demands a sacrifice. If you cannot send your men to die, then you are not fit to rule..."_

He was right to say such to her. If she could not treat him as her knight, he would fail to protect her as her father had ordered him to do. Following orders was what he had learned to do as a knight of Renais, and he could not allow himself to ignore his training, even if it meant that he must ignore his heart in its stead.

That being so, he could not ignore the prince's order to speak with Eirika for any longer. He would have to do it whether he wanted to or not, so there was no point in continuing to hesitate. With a firm salute to Ephraim, Seth lifted up the flaps and entered into Eirika's tent.

Sensing his presence, she lowered her hands from her eyes and smiled shakily. "How fare you, General Seth?" she asked him, her voice surprisingly clear. She was the picture of quiet dignity even in the throes of her deepest agony and humiliation; a beautiful yet haunting sight to see.

"I hardly know, Princess," he responded quietly. "It is your health I think of. You are not well, and this must not continue on."

"No. You are right. I am not well. Not well at all." She closed her eyes and placed her hand over her forehead. "Sterling Knight... you have wisely reminded me of my duty once before, and I need your instruction once again. My sins are too great and too damning for me to carry on to them for any longer. I must erase them before I am to help my brother lead Renais, and I do not think I can do it without you. I cannot let myself jeopardize my people as I have today in giving our Sacred Stone to Lyon. I cannot let Magvel perish to this threat through my own naivety and stupidity."

She opened her eyes again and looked up at him. Seth realized in wonder that she had taken his prior reminder of her station as the future queen of Renais very much to heart, and now she was expecting a repeat of the chastisement and rejection he had given to her earlier. How horribly extraordinary! Eirika's legendary iron will was vanishing before his very eyes, and it was because of his influence that she despaired! He had denied her and put her in her place, and by doing so he had sucked out her lively verve and spirit. She had learned to loathe the softness of her heart because of him, and now she wished to once again hear his poisonous and untruthful words in order her to turn herself into the mechanical, unfeeling queen he had asked her to become in order to keep her from foolishly loving him.

"Princess," he said carefully, "no one blames you for giving the stone to Lyon. The Demon King was the cruel one for taking advantage of your friendly and trusting feelings for him. In fact, your willingness to sacrifice Renais' most dearest possession in order to save the life of your friend only proves what a humane and feeling young woman you are."

"That Sacred Stone was one of our last hopes," Eirika countered blandly. "You said yourself that I shouldn't let my feelings get in the way as my duty as a ruler."

"Milady, I did not mean to instruct you to be unfeeling. That was not at all my intention when I spoke to you of... what feelings exist between us."

"If being unfeeling will win me this war, Seth, I must learn it. And you must aid me in becoming a better leader to my people."

He looked at her there cowering on the floor and wondered perhaps if what they had recently been learning of Lyon's descent into madness was fueling this emotional outburst. They had been close friends, after all, and it was understandable that Eirika should keenly feel the loss of his soul. "Princess," he murmured delicately, "I hope you do not think it was because Lyon was too feeling that this war came upon us. His quest to save his father and protect his people did lead him to err in judgment, but you are not the same kind of person as him in your heart. You, milady, would never turn to darkness in order to bring about light. That is why you are a good woman and a fine princess, Lady Eirika. You are ideal as you are."

Eirika blinked in surprise, seemingly snapping out of her trance of despair. "I would not have expected you to say such, Seth. You are used to a leader as stalwart as my father, and I must pale in comparison to you."

"How can you think that, Princess? I have been with your family for some years now, and never have I doubted the strength and goodness of your heart."

To Seth's surprise, this pronouncement sent Eirika into a flurry of tears. "Oh- oh, Seth! I thought you resented me! I thought you h-hated me!"

"What? I could never hate you, milady! As a knight of Renais, it is my duty, my honor, and my life to serve you!"

She was sobbing harshly now, the force of her hurt piercing like a sword through his heart. "Oh, but you do resent me," she cried, her voice dark and moody. "You do! It would be so much better for you if I did not... if I did not l-love you as I do. You resent me because I have made you weak, because I have made it my business to shatter the vows you have sworn your life to! I cannot ruin my people as I have ruined you, Seth. It is not fair! It is not just! I will not permit this weakness in myself!"

Seth shook his head in bewilderment. "What on Magvel, Lady Eirika? You haven't ruined me!"

"Yes, I have! You won't speak to me in the same way or look me in the eye anymore because I ruined you by loving you! What greater sin is there than that? And I will never forgive myself for it! Never!"

Seth froze. Everything she was saying was true- but true of him rather than of her. He saw now that she was the ruined one, all because he loved her and was too terrified and cowed to do anything about it. But he could not help the confusion that he felt when he thought of her. Too many different things were pulling him in too many different directions, and he did not know which way he was meant to turn. Duty! Love! Sympathy for this beautiful creature in front of him who was so unhappy, so miserable because she thought he didn't love her, thought he resented her for the purity and devotion of her love!

Duty! He had a duty to protect her, and now he had failed. He was killing her himself, slowly killing the Eirika that Renais loved and depended on. What kind of a knight _was _he? What good was this love they shared if it ended up killing them both?

"Eirika," he calmly stated over the sound of her racking sobs. "Eirika."

Eirika continued crying for a few minutes, then abruptly stopped. She brushed her eyes and stared up at him in awe as if he had just said the strangest thing she'd ever heard. "S-seth? Did you just call me... Eirika? Not Lady Eirika or princess or milady, but just... Eirika?"

He extended his hand to her and pulled her up to her feet. "Look at me, Eirika," he commanded. "Do you think I want you to be a cold and untouchable woman? Do you think that would make me happy? Do you think that would make _you_ happy?"

"But I can't make you happy, can I, Seth? Isn't it too late for us?" Her voice was thick and wistful. He could tell that she was fighting to hide her emotions, but he could feel her every desire pouring out from her.

"Come here," he ordered. He pulled her against him, placing one hand around shoulders and the other on her lower back. "Don't even think about doing this to yourself, Eirika," he whispered. "I could never resent you. I love you, don't you understand? If I can protect you by loving you, then I'll love you until the day I die. Please, Eirika. Please."

"Oh! Oh..." Eirika pressed her face into his chest and cried against his rapidly beating heart. "I thought... I thought you would never..."

"Sshh." He tightened his arms around her. "It's okay now, Eirika. I'm here. I'm here."

"Please stay," she murmured back, lifting her face and kissing him tenderly on the lips. "Just promise me you'll always stay..."


End file.
